


put me on the pages of your life story

by benditlikepress



Category: NCIS
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Family, Friendship, Happy Ending, McGee does some brotherly things, not tagging the actual plot bc spoilers, post-reunion
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-17
Updated: 2020-01-17
Packaged: 2021-02-25 08:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,032
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22292944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/benditlikepress/pseuds/benditlikepress
Summary: A 3 part fic, told from 3 different perspectives. McGee and co come to Paris for a visit.
Relationships: Ziva David/Anthony DiNozzo
Comments: 16
Kudos: 109





	1. tony

**Author's Note:**

> title is from take a piece by the big moon

Tony ended up driving straight from work to the airport. He'd booked the afternoon off but the flight from DC had apparently gathered some unexpected speed, and McGee and the gang were landing earlier than planned.

He hadn't actually seen McGee in three years, which seemed absurd but was something Tony had done on purpose given the Ziva of it all. He barely trusted himself not to spill the truth when McGee checked in after her "death", let alone if he saw him face-to-face. And that was without considering the Tali of it all, a girl who would happily tell complete strangers that her mom was working all over the world and would be home soon.

Tony was glad to have finally made plans to see them, a long weekend in the city where they could do their own things as well as spending time as a group, but now as he stood in the airport pick-up zone watching the sheer volume of luggage heading in his direction he wondered if the word ‘weekend’ had changed meaning since he left the States.

McGee was pushing a double stroller, and the twins were both fast asleep. He'd never met them, which he felt guilty about. But he'd seen pictures, and videos, and hell they were conceived in his apartment.

He got their attention with a wave, and McGee began to push with more purpose. When they got within feet of the car he almost dropped a bag, and Tony jogged a couple of steps to grab it.

“Did you pack the whole of D.C. in your hand luggage?”

“Feels like it.” Delilah answered with a tone that suggested this was something that had already been discussed. “How are you?”

Tony kissed her on the cheek and gave McGee a longer hug than he had intended, a moment that Tony firmly decided he wouldn’t make emotional.

“They’re gonna have to wake up.” He gestured apologetically at the twins, and Delilah and McGee both bent their heads to softly wake them. Unlike Tali, who would scream blue-murder at that age, they woke up slowly and quietly. McGee stood back up and looked at Tony and then back at the twins, proudly.

“8 hours wide awake crying and they fell asleep when we were waiting to collect our bags. Are you gonna say hi to your Uncle Tony?"

They looked up at him, tired and bemused. Tony held up his hands.

"How about a high five?"

After a few seconds Morgan patted her hand against his, and Johnny did the same.

"I think they're wondering how I got out of the phone screen."

Tony and McGee busied themselves securing wheelchairs and strollers and bags in the trunk and then Tony had to trap McGee in the middle seat in the back, securing car seats either side of him. Morgan dropped the stuffed octopus she had been holding to her face somewhere in the mess of bags in the footwell, and Tony bent down to pick it up and put on a voice to talk as though he was the octopus when he lifted back up, seeing the tears welling in her eyes. He moved its legs, poking her in the knee, and Morgan smiled, grabbing the toy back from him.

It ended up feeling like a tight squeeze when Tony finally got into the front seat next to Delilah.

"Full house, huh?"

"You need a big trunk when you're travelling with us. How's things?"

"Oh, y'know how it is."

"No, we don't." McGee interjected. "Apparently there's a lot you haven't been telling us."

"C'mon, you can't throw that in my face. You think I was happy keeping a secret like that? Sitting on my hands not doing a thing to help?"

“Eh, I guess you’re right. How's she doing?"

"A lot better."

"I'm glad, Tony. I was worried about her when I saw her in the States, it's like she was a different person."

"Well, she's never going to be exactly the same as she used to be back then. But that's OK. She's a lot healthier than she was, and happier. That's what matters. Anyway, she should be the one to talk to you about all that."

McGee didn't reply, so Tony looked up at him in the rear-view mirror. He was smiling thoughtfully.

"You're right. I can't wait to see her. And Tali, she's grown up so much."

“She’ll have the twins running wild. Just you wait. How's my old apartment? Had any other special visitors?" Tony asked tactfully, one eye on the kids in the backseat. Delilah turned to him with a sigh.

"Let's not talk about that. We're actually thinking of looking for a house now the twins are getting bigger. It'll be a shame, though. We got married there."

"Y'know, all the things that happened there over the years, I never expected it to be a wedding venue."

"What kind of things?"

"Tim.." Delilah turned back to him, where he was sat squashed between the two cat seats.

"I just mean it can't have been _that_ adventurous. Ziva told me once you had a twin bed."

“And I’m sure I told _both of you_ about talking about me behind my back.”

“Oh, I think that deal ended a long time ago, DiNozzo.”

The drive to Tony and Ziva’s apartment was mainly quiet after that, discussions of travel acting as place-holders for the conversations they were saving for when they saw Ziva. Emptying the car when they arrived at the apartment was a little easier than it had been loading it, though not by much. Tony was beginning to feel like a carthorse.

The elevator was a tight squeeze, supposedly big enough for 8 people but not feeling very sturdy with the twins both in a stroller plus Delilah’s chair and Tony and McGee laden with bags.

Tony had to fumble around with his full hands to get his apartment key out of his pocket, and when they entered he could see that Ziva had deep-cleaned while he’d been at work. In spite of what she liked people to believe, she wasn’t a clean-as-you-go kind of woman.

"Honey, I'm home!” What started out as a joke had soon become a habit for Tony, and the joy he got out of the exasperated looks it earned him made it all the more worth it. "I come bearing government agents."

Ziva emerged from the kitchen, her hair tied in a bun and a smile on her face.

She hugged McGee warmly, placing a hand on his cheek when she pulled away.

“Good flight?”

“The twins cried the entire time.”

Ziva made a noise of sympathy as she turned to Delilah, who it occurred to Tony now she had somehow never met before.

“Delilah, it is so nice to meet you.” She bent down to kiss the woman on either cheek.

“You too. I’ve heard so much about you, you wouldn’t believe.

“And you! You must be Johnny and Morgan. It is _very_ nice to meet you.” Tony watched as Ziva bent down towards the twins, who though seemed unsure were willing to allow themselves to be kissed on the forehead. Ziva stood up again and smiled welcomingly. “Come through, I will make you all a drink.”

Ziva walked back into the kitchen as McGee and Delilah busied themselves taking off the twins’ jackets and shoes. Tony followed Ziva, falling into step behind her, and when she got into the kitchen he put a hand on her hip and spun her around to face him.

"I'm here too, y'know." Tony crowed, and Ziva rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him in for a long kiss. His back bent a little towards her and he pulled back, wincing. Her face etched with concern. “I’m the McGee pack mule. Missed you today."

"We missed you. We've been making cookies."

"Cookies, huh?" Delilah answered in Tony's place, making her way into the kitchen flanked by two giddy toddlers. "Where's Tali?"

"Speak of the devil," Tony heard a light careless thumping of socks on floorboards as Tali careered around the corner, launching herself at him first. He picked her up and kissed her cheek. "Hey, sweetie. Good day?"

"We made cookies."

"Uh-huh, I heard. Are you going to say hello?"

Tony put Tali back on the ground and she surveyed the room, looking at Delilah, the twins, and McGee in turn. She approached McGee first, recognising him from photos and Skype calls even if she couldn't remember the time they'd spent together in her earlier life. She stopped in front of him and hesitated as though she wasn't sure what to do, until McGee held out a hand to her. She shook it, giggling, and turned to where Delilah was holding something in her hands. She called the twins towards her and placed it between them, each clutching a handle of a carrier bag.

"Hey Tali, Johnny and Morgan wanted to bring you a special present to say thanks for letting us come see you."

Tali approached the twins without hesitation, taking the bag from them and pulling out a painting set which she then held up to Tony and Ziva excitedly. Tony couldn’t remember if he’d told them how much Tali loved painting, though his messages had been long and sporadic over the last year or so since everything with Ziva had heated up.

“What do you say, Tali?”

“Merci.”

“You’re welcome, sweetheart.”

"Can we go and play in my bedroom?"

"OK, not for too long though."

“I’ll just go through and make sure they’re OK. Long flight.” Delilah dismissed herself with a smile, following the kids through the apartment towards Tali’s bedroom. Tony, Ziva, and McGee were left standing looking at each other in the kitchen.

“Drink?” Ziva eventually asked, breaking the strangely surreal atmosphere.

“Uh, coffee. Please. Delilah will have one too.”

Ziva turned around to start making them and Tony fought the urge to physically turn her back towards them, suddenly having found themselves with nothing to talk about after so long separated. She went into what Tony called the ‘mystery cupboard’ above the sink and pulled something down. When she did eventually turn around of her own volition, there was a smile on her face. She took Tony’s hand and placed a pill into his palm.

“For your back.”

Tony mouthed a ‘thank you’ which was soon covered by a faint touch of lips against his own. Ziva put a hand on the side of his face, rubbed her thumb along his hairline, and then handed him his drink so he could swallow the pill. He remembered a couple of months ago when he had thrown it out helping Tali on a climbing frame, and things had still been tentative and earnest between them but Ziva had told Tony she’d fetch him a painkiller and then put it on the tip of her own tongue for him to kiss off her. It had been so unexpected, so playful, that if he hadn’t already thrown his back out he might have done it again laughing.

Still, now probably wasn’t the time for a repeat. Not with McGee already looking at them like they’d grown a third head.

“Look at this, hm? All of us in the same room. Six years?”

“Six years. Can you believe it, Ziva? Our little McGee, all grown up.”

“I’ve always been the grown-up.”

“Weeeell, debatable. But look at you now. Wife, kids. Coming to Europe for a long weekend.”

“I think what Tony means is, it is nice to see you doing well, Tim.”

“Don’t start calling me Tim, that would just make this weird.”

“Weirder than it already is?”

McGee conceded a smile. “It’s not weird, it’s just different. I mean, you guys are living here. Together. With your _daughter_. Who saw that coming?”

“Pretty much everyone who ever met us.” Tony’s words made Ziva turn to direct an affectionate eyeroll in his direction. “You literally wrote the book about it.”

“Can we please not talk Deep Six?”

The conversation began to flow easier once the strangeness of the situation had been acknowledged, and when Delilah re-entered the kitchen she found the three of them laughing into their drinks.

“Like old times, huh? The kids definitely don’t want a nap, I left them emptying Tali’s entire dressing up collection onto the floor.”

“Fantastic.”

“Let’s all sit down so you can finish your drinks before you have to check into your apartment. I want to hear what is going on with you both. Especially you, Delilah.”

“Oh yeah, prepare yourself. Ziva’s very protective of our young probie.”

“Pretty sure Ziva’s younger than I am, Tony. And I’ve been senior field agent for several years now.”

“Job positions come and go, but your role in our little group sticks for life.”

“Bring it on, I have a lot of questions to ask myself. How _do_ you superglue someone’s face to their desk?”

They ended up sat around the kitchen table, swapping stories and cracking light jokes at each other’s expense. They mainly talked about the States, and NCIS. Ziva asked a lot of questions about Delilah and the twins, and Tony watched as she laughed and engaged with McGee in a way he hadn’t realised he had missed.

When the kids re-emerged, Tali leading a charge looking for drinks, Delilah looked at the time on her phone.

“We should probably be heading back to unpack before tonight. Come on kids, coats and shoes.”

Tony pulled Tali up onto his lap as they watched the commotion, McGee faffing around with bags and placing some on Delilah’s lap and then changing his mind, trying to organise the best way to carry which bags where.

“Sure I can’t give you a ride?” Tony questioned as he watched them, Ziva now helping Johnny put on his shoes.

“Fresh air is good for jetlag, I’ll fall asleep in the car.” McGee eventually responded. Ziva placed a duffel bag over each of his shoulders with an affectionate smile at his grimace.

“See you later.”

* * *

With their guests packed off to their Airbnb, only a few minutes away, they had an afternoon free before meeting back up for dinner tonight.

It was rare to have an afternoon completely free of work or school or activities or plans, and almost instinctively the three of them had found themselves on the couch with a movie. Tali had wanted to watch The Goonies (again) and Tony was more than happy to oblige.

Some way into the movie, Tali had shrugged herself off the couch and onto the floor. She'd kept one eye on the movie while playing with the felt tips she'd had out during the day but after a couple of minutes she’d began to fidget. Tali was an absent comfort-seeker, using touch to relax, and from her position on the floor she was alternating between colouring and playing with Ziva's fingers and the hem at the bottom of her trousers until Tony leaned down to see what she was doing and found her, inexplicably, asleep on her side on the carpet.

Ziva hadn’t seemed to notice, lying with her head against the armrest and her legs curled up against Tony's. When he noticed Tali was asleep, he manoeuvred until he was leaning over Ziva and pressed a finger to his lips and pointed downwards. Ziva leaned over to look down at Tali and smiled, and when she turned her head back up Tony's face was above her. She wasted no time in lifting her hand to the back of his head and pulling his lips down onto hers, turning to lie flatter on her back and opening her legs a little to allow him a more comfortable position.

Tony opened his mouth and Ziva's tongue wasted no time making its way inside as he lifted his hand to her face, brushing her hair out of her eye.

Tali made a humming noise in her sleep on the floor and Tony guiltily removed his lips from Ziva's, eyes closed and forehead pressed against hers.

"You're a bad influence." He whispered quietly, giving her a peck and then rolling until he lay behind her between her back and the back of the couch. Ziva turned back so she was properly facing the television.

"I apologise for you climbing on top of me." Ziva's words were sarcastic and her foot moved to kick his leg behind her. He captured it, pulling it sharply between his knees and Ziva must have decided to humour him because she didn't pull it away. "Now be quiet, I am trying to watch."

Tony chuckled, and lifted his head to kiss her cheek. "I knew you liked it."

"I never said I did not like it, I said Tali was too young to be watching it."

"It's a classic, you're never too young for the classics."

"I will remind you of that when she picks out The Shining then, yes?"

"Do you always have to be right?"

Ziva smirked but didn’t reply, and they watched the movie in a comfortable silence until they got 10 minutes from the end and Tali suddenly woke up and sprang up like she’d been electrocuted, apparently recharged and ready for the evening. She launched herself on top of her parents’ bodies and Tony seemed to take the brunt of her weight directly into his hip, and he groaned as she laughed.

“You’re gonna kill me, kid.”

“Is it time to go now?”

Ziva managed to free her arm under Tali’s legs to check her watch. “I think it is shower time for you. Daddy can wash your hair so I can get ready.”

The word still sounded strange and electrifying on Ziva’s tongue even after a few months, and Tony couldn’t help but look at her when he heard it.

Tali was boisterous in the shower and Tony ended up soaked in water, apparently her floor nap having been just what she needed for an evening’s worth of playing with toddlers. Ziva was already dressed when they emerged from the bathroom and they traded places so Tony could get ready.

He could hear loud laughter and conversation coming from Tali’s bedroom as he looked for something to change into, Ziva playfully reasoning with Tali to try and talk her out of combining more than 1 dressing up costume into an outfit. He loved listening to them like this, carefree and connected as though no time had passed. There were still moments where one or both of them were hesitant, or upset, but they were becoming less and less frequent.

Tali’s room got suspiciously and suddenly the bedroom door opened, and Ziva brushed past him towards the dressing table.

"’Daddy is best at deciding outfits’." Ziva said with a performative glare and raised eyebrows.

"Oh well, who am I to deny a willing audience?"

He buttoned his shirt as he left the room again, going back into Tali's to find the floor covered in outfits.

He eventually got her into something (her best party dress, but beggars can't be choosers), and the two of them came back into the bedroom to show Ziva they were done.

Her mouth was open a little as she applied mascara. She spotted him through the reflection in the mirror, and Tony felt a warm rush at the unabashed grin that appeared on her face when she saw him.

"You ready?"

"Almost."

"We got something together in the end, didn't we, Tali?"

Ziva put her mascara down and turned around, her eyes widening playfully when she saw how Tali was dressed.

"You look like a princess, Tali."

She swished her dress a little from side to side, clearly it having had the desired effect.

"And is this your handsome price?"

"No, he's yours." She responded with a roll of her eyes, somehow one foot in adolescence.

"Of course he is, silly me." Ziva approached him and wrapped her arms around his neck, tilting her head a little as he kissed her cheek.

"As beautiful as her mom." Tony whispered in her ear, and he could've sworn he saw a pinkish tint to her cheeks.

She really did look gorgeous, and Tony wondered if she really did look better the older she got or if it was the impact of how he had fallen more and more in love with her the longer he'd known her.

The walk to the Italian restaurant where they’d booked a table was buoyant and light-hearted; Tali’s good moods had a habit of catching on. When they turned the corner towards their destination, Tali pointed out the McGee’s waiting under the canopy to the side of the glass doors. When they were within shouting distance they allowed her to run on ahead, and McGee ruffled her hair as she began to talk ten-to-the-dozen to the twins. Best friends already.

“Long time no see.” Tony called out as they approached. He saw McGee look and then purposefully-try-not-to-look at his and Ziva's intertwined hands. “Shall we go in?”

They didn’t have to wait long to be seated, and the waiter blissfully came by with colouring books for the kids. McGee asked in broken French if he had one for Tony too, but just got a bemused look in response.

They spaced the kids out between them, except for Tony and Ziva who were sat next to each other (Tali had insisted on sitting next to Delilah rather than Tony). On Tony’s other side was Morgan, who was stopping after every move of her pencil to talk about anything and everything. She seemed to have taken a shining to him in the same way Tali had Delilah. 

"So how are you doing, Ziva? Are you feeling better?"

"A lot better, thank you. I am sure McGee spoke to you about when I reappeared - how I was. It is still something I have to work on every day, and speak to professionals about, but I really am feeling in a good place for the first time in a long time."

"The adjustment must've been difficult."

There was a non-condescending empathy in Delilah's voice and Tony could see that she was being tactful, whether for the kids or for Ziva, and he was grateful though his and Ziva's new vow of honesty extended partially to Tali too. She didn't understand the specifics of what had happened with Sahar, of course, but they’d tried to give her the best age-appropriate understanding they could of Ziva's anxiety and mental illness.

"It took me a while to get used to the feeling of being back, and to come to terms with the reality of what had happened, but it was always my end goal. Having something to fight for was what helped me through. And now that I have it, I.." Ziva stopped and looked at Tony. She put her hand over his in his lap. "I am trying to enjoy each day as much as I can. If there is one thing I know for certain in all of this, I know I will never take anything for granted."

"I think that deserves a toast."

They all raised their glasses, including Tali who didn't seem to have listened to a word they'd said up to that point.

"How about you Tali, huh? Is it fun having your mom back?"

Tali nodded quickly, taking a gulp of her drink. "I liked it with daddy but it's funnest now because he's happy."

"I'm always happy when I'm with you, honey."

Tony smiled across the table, but Tali dismissed him.

"I love ima and you love ima so you're happy."

Tali seemed confused when the adults laughed, and Tony saw Ziva stroke her hair.

"I think that's exactly right, Tali." McGee eventually responded, but Tali was already losing interest in a conversation she thought was going over her head and bent back down to her colouring. "Must've been a relief, knowing they were together." He addressed at Ziva, signalling between Tony and Tali. Tony could feel a bashful discomfort rising; still a little uncomfortable being the centre of attention in a way that made him feel vulnerable.

"It was. I never had any doubts over Tali being with him. And now I am back.. I will not embarrass you by going into detail," she turned to look at Tony as she spoke, "but I am forever going to be indebted for the things he has done for me. Tali and I both struck cold."

".. Gold? Struck gold?" Delilah asked with a frown.

"That too."

Conversation diverged then, McGee asking Tony about work after they'd already spoken about NCIS back at the apartment.

“And what about you, Ziva? What are you doing right now?”

“I volunteer at a non-profit working with female asylum seekers and refugees. I’m starting college in the fall.”

There was a strange hint of self-consciousness in Ziva’s voice as she spoke, and Tony looked over at her to smile. The idea of work had been daunting for her at first after so long away, a source of anxiety, (and truth be told they weren’t exactly desperate for money thanks to the secret diamond trail of the late Eli David that Ziva had tracked down not long before faking her death) but she’d spoken about her desire to do advocacy work, or translation work, or to find a way to help women who’d suffered trauma or had newly arrived in the country. She got into contact with an older woman who worked with asylum-seeking women and it was through her that she began volunteering and the idea of college first arrived.

She had been genuinely excited about the prospect from the first day Tony had arrived home and found her sat at the kitchen table with a pile of prospectus’ open in front of her, and it had delighted him to see her so passionate and driven towards something after how long she’d told him she’d felt lost. She’d decided to study via distance learning in the end, only one day on campus a week, but the commitment was still a big step.

“Here, I thought Tony’s days of dating co-eds were long behind him.”

Tony gave a sarcastic guffaw but allowed Ziva and McGee to get their laughs at his expense. He wouldn’t dare tell them he missed when they used to do it, though. He’d never hear the end of it.

Their pizzas soon arrived and they began to eat, plates clattering and slices being swapped across the table.

McGee took Johnny to the bathroom. Morgan immediately began to fidget, ignoring her food and trying to hop down from her seat. Tony glanced across at Delilah but she hadn’t seemed to notice, already simultaneously trying to eat while Tali talked her ear off.

“Hey, Morgan. Wanna eat up here with me?”

Morgan appraised him for a moment and then nodded sharply, lifting her arms so that Tony would pick her up and place her on his lap. He turned her around so she was facing the table and she immediately grabbed for her pizza, suddenly now much more enthusiastic. Tony continued to eat his own over her head, but every time he took a bite she would look up and follow the slice as it made its way into his mouth.

He began to multi-task, picking up Morgan’s pizza in his opposite hand and placing it directly into her mouth as he ate his own, and she took bites inbetween laughter.

Tony could feel Ziva’s eyes on him, and when he looked up to meet them her expression was warm.

“What?”

“I like watching you with children.”

They’d spoken a few times about having another. The consensus had been that they would start trying in the new year, once Tali had had them to herself for a while. She had needed time to be with both of her parents before their attentions were split. Still, though, now Tali was much more settled and with the way Ziva was looking at him and Morgan, he wondered if another conversation was on the horizon.

As Ziva bent down and began to talk to Morgan and used a finger to wipe something off her cheek, McGee and Johnny got back to the table. The sight of Tony, Ziva and Morgan together caused the man to give a double-take.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing. Just.. who are you and what’ve you done with Tony and Ziva?”

“Yeah, he’s right. I didn’t know you were so good with children, Tony.” Delilah looked at them now.

“Are you kidding, Tony?” McGee interrupted before Tony could answer for himself. “He isn’t. Or, he wasn’t.”

“I remember not long before I got pregnant, Tony and I had to babysit for Director Vance. It was a challenge even getting him in the door.”

Tony noticed how Ziva referred to that period as ‘before I got pregnant’ rather than ‘after my dad died’ or ‘before I stayed in Israel’. He wondered if it was for her benefit, for his, or simply to avoid the conversation taking a turn.

“This is Tali’s influence then, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess so. I don’t know, kids always kinda freaked me out. I think they could smell fear.”

"Well, hey, you figured it out when it mattered."

It took a while for everyone to finish eating amidst the conversation and distractions. Tony, Tali, and McGee had wanted dessert, and Ziva had denied she did and then got the waiter to fetch another spoon to share Tony's. She didn't ask, of course, and it reminded him of a forgotten memory from the first time they met, when she'd eaten his burrito straight from his hands and been confused when he got offended.

After six years of wishing for nothing more than her to magically appear to steal his food, he thought he'd probably never complain again.

They paid what had turned into an extortionate bill and piled out onto the street much too late, McGee and Delilah immediately departing to get the twins to bed before they met for brunch in the morning.

Tony and Ziva walked home in the opposite direction, overly-tired Tali holding one each of their hands.

"Good to see him again." Tony pondered during a lull in the conversation. Ziva turned to him with an expression that suggested she'd been thinking the same.

"Yes, it is. It's funny. I did not expect it to feel so familiar, even where we are now."

He understood exactly what she meant. It was strange how spending time the three of them again could feel so comfortable, even with the addition of Delilah and several kids. Tony would be lying if he said it wasn't nice, a reminder of old times. A fresh start didn't have to mean leaving everything from your old life behind.

It was especially poignant for him and Ziva, who toed the line between the unbreakable bond of a relationship built across decades and the new unexplored path they had found themselves on since being reunited. The combination had likely been the reason they had been so solid as they tried to work through what had at times felt like endless uncertainty and difficulty, a reassurance from each other's presence that they would figure it out, together.

They'd spent a period in surrealism, before falling back to rely heavily and rigidly to routine, to finally now finding a happy medium where Tony could book afternoons off work to pick up their friends from the airport and go out for late dinners and they all went to therapy and they could worry less about Tali and Ziva could worry less in general. It was far from perfect, and a little chaotic at times, but it felt natural. A new type of normal that suited them perfectly.

Now, just the small matter of the ring box burning a hole in his jacket pocket…


	2. mcgee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> we as a society sleep on ziva and mcgee's sibling dynamic and how easy-going and supportive their whole deal is. remember when ziva first came to america and mcgee was helping her settle in? adorable. the people (ie me) demand more recognition for their relationship

No sooner had McGee entered Tony and Ziva’s apartment with Delilah and the twins in the morning was he being marched back out again, brunch pastry order in his hand and Ziva at his side.

"You will all have to come and visit again soon."

"Wishing us away already?"

"No, of course not. I am just enjoying spending time like this. The three of us together after so long. And I am finally getting to know your wife, too."

“Good to get some one-on-one time with you after everything that was happening in DC.”

“It is great to see you again, McGee, really. I know I was a little pre-occupied, so I did not get the chance to really talk to you about what has been going on with you. You have such beautiful children.”

“Delilah’s influence, not mine. I’m lucky.”

“She is lucky to have _you_ too. Do not sell yourself short.”

McGee always felt a little shy when Ziva complimented him so sincerely. He used to think it was a residual effect of the intimidation he’d felt when they’d first met, but he realised now it was a sense of pride at having such a strong relationship with someone like her. He wasn’t sure he’d ever met someone quite like Ziva, and he was lucky to have her back in his life again.

“How are you finding Paris? You didn’t really talk about it yesterday.”

“It is funny - home has always been a very... moveable thing for me during my life. But now, I think home is more the people I am with than where I am. We could be anywhere, and it would not make a difference to me.”

“Back in the U.S.?”

Ziva turned to look at him then, and maybe there was a hopeful note in his voice because she smiled. “Maybe someday. But I am not so concerned about that – wherever is good for Tony and for Tali, that is what’s good for me too. Tony may want to move back there one day, we have spoken about it a couple of times. I would be open to the idea. When I think back to that time, moving to America; it was something I did for me, for the first time in my life. I will always think of it very fondly for that.”

“But..” McGee stopped himself.

“You can ask.”

“Do you still think you made the right decision when you stayed in Israel back then?”

Ziva hesitated, made a noise of questioning. “That is difficult to answer. In the back of my mind, I always imagined I would come back one day. I know that was probably.. ill-advised of me, like I was living in a dream world. I thought there was a chance I would get myself in a good headspace again and then I would come back. I would not go back to NCIS, but I would go back to America, back to DC, and I'd knock on Tony's door. But before I could bend myself out there was a baby involved, and someone was trying to kill me, and things were not so easy.”

“Straighten yourself out.” McGee said with a smile.

“So to answer your question… I think the space was what I needed, but it did not exactly work out in the way I had expected it to. I did not ever actually get the room to do so. That is just one of those things we have to live with, yes? And now.. now, things are better. It has taken me a long time to face those things I was hiding from back then.”

“And with Tony? You guys seem pretty solid.”

He knew she’d spoken about him yesterday, but he’d always found it more revealing what Tony and Ziva said to him about each other when the other wasn’t in earshot. She didn’t reply for a moment, and when McGee turned to look at her he saw a small smile break out on her face. “Things are good. Very good, actually. I think you are not the only one who got lucky.”

McGee chuckled to himself, and Ziva’s brow furrowed. “Sorry, it’s just a little weird to hear you talk like this. Still taking some getting used to.”

“He said you were staring at us holding hands last night.”

“I wasn’t staring, just..” he stopped. He probably had been staring.

It was difficult to communicate to them the reasons why; how it was so strange, so _good,_ to see the two of them getting to be a part of a proper family unit that he knew neither of them had ever had growing up. It was never the kind of thing the three of them had talked about too openly when they were together when they were younger.

“I’m just relieved that you guys have finally figured it out.” He settled on eventually, and the earnest expression on Ziva’s face suggested she understood what wasn’t being said.

"So am I. We wasted so much time back then."

"Yeah – I mean if you'd done it sooner, maybe you could've saved me years of hell, but let's not sweat the small stuff." Ziva laughed and hooked her arm through McGee’s. He smiled along, before allowing himself to turn serious. “You seem happy, Ziva.”

“I am. I had hoped that being back here would bring me peace, but I never imagined that..” they reached the patisserie, and Ziva stopped before the door and turned towards him with a reassuring look on her face. “I did not think I was still capable of feeling this kind of happiness. Do not get me wrong – some days are difficult. But it is a lot easier to get through those days knowing the kinds of ones that lie ahead. I was missing that before.”

* * *

McGee was exhausted by the time they made it back to Tony and Ziva’s that night. They’d done a whistle-stop tour of every major attraction they could manage, and the twins had alternated between sleeping soundly and desperately trying to climb out of their stroller to run off in every direction.

With the heavier topics out of the way the previous night, they’d been able to engage in lighter conversation over dinner. Jokes and funny stories and filling Delilah in on some of the more outlandish things they had gotten up to when they were all working together all those years ago.

They stayed sat at the table for a while after dinner, long after the kids disappeared. McGee eventually excused himself to go to the bathroom and had looked back over his shoulder, feeling a warm buzz as he saw his wife getting along so well with his friends.

When he re-emerged from the bathroom, Tony was nowhere to be seen. Ziva was sat at the kitchen table, deep in discussion with Delilah.

"Whatever she's saying, it's not true." McGee told Delilah with a smile.

"Guilty conscience, Tim. Ziva isn't Tony."

"Hm, you'd be surprised."

Ziva raised her eyebrows in challenge at him. "He is on the balcony if you want to join him. Here," Ziva opened the fridge and took out two beer bottles. "Tell him I warned him and he did not listen and Tali found his gummy bears."

McGee made his way back through the living area, listening to Ziva and Delilah talk and then clambering past where the kids had seemingly emptied the contents of Tali's bedroom onto the living room floor.

The balcony was just about big enough for a bench, and Tony was sat in the middle looking out over the street. He looked up when McGee opened the door and took the beer that was offered to him.

"Ziva says Tali found your gummy bears."

"Huh, funny how Ziva always tells that story and yet I never actually see Tali eating them."

"You think Ziva's eating them? Ziva?"

"She moves in mysterious ways."

There was a fond tease in Tony's voice when he talked about her, even when she wasn't there to hear it. He shuffled along the bench to make room for McGee to sit down next to him.

"If you wanna go in there and start making accusations, leave me out of it. But I think you'll struggle to get a word in with her and Delilah."

"Talking about us?"

"Probably."

“Weird they’ve never met.”

“I know, Ziva left right around the time Delilah and I started dating. Can’t believe you guys were apart for that long.”

"Could've been a lot longer. Could've been forever, if Sahar had had her way."

"How much has she told you about the last couple of years?"

"Everything. That she remembers, anyway; I don't think she was always totally present. She was a little worried about upsetting me, but I convinced her I needed to hear it." Tony cleared his throat. "I wanted to talk to you about it, actually. I spoke to Bishop for a long time on the phone but I held off with you because I knew you were coming to visit. Thank you for everything you did for her. For us."

"I didn't really do anything. Bishop and Gibbs did all the hard work."

"Bishop told me how upset you were when you found out she'd hidden it from you. You wanted to help. And don't think I've forgotten what you've done for her before - you let me drag you across the desert to certain death. So _thank you_ , McGee."

"You guys would do the same for me." It was as simple, and as complicated as that. It was a little cliché, but they really were family. "Ziva did, actually. She has the scar on her arm to prove it."

"Say thanks to her too if you'd like, but you're accepting this because I'm not saying it again."

"You're welcome." McGee eventually offered with a chuckle.

He looked absently at the beer bottle he was holding on his lap, and out of the corner of his eye he saw Toby fumble for something in his pocket.

When he looked up, he found himself staring at a diamond ring.

"I'm flattered, Tony, but I'm already married."

"Hah, you should be so lucky."

Tony looked down at the ring box, running his finger over the stone. McGee watched his expression.

"So, you're proposing?"

"I'm proposing."

"When did you get the ring?"

Tony smirked as he put it back in his pocket. "A while ago. Been trying to work up the courage. Long time since I've proposed to anyone."

"Yeah, but this is Ziva. You shouldn't be nervous - it's you guys."

"I want it to be something special. Say the right things."

"You're asking her to marry you, that's pretty much as special as it gets. Have you figured out where you're gonna do it?"

"I think so. No spoilers."

"And you're sure about this?"

"More than I have been about anything."

"Congratulations, brother."

He pulled Tony into a strong hug, patting his back. When he moved back, Tony picked his beer back up and took a long swig.

"She hasn't actually said yes yet, so hold off on that."

"Don't tell me you're worried she'll say no." Tony shrugged and it seemed self-conscious. "She's going to say yes. After how she talked to me about you this morning, she's going to say yes."

"What did she say?"

"Invoking sibling privilege. I won't tell her about the ring, I won't tell you what she says behind your back."

"Hardly seems a fair trade."

"Delilah and I will watch Tali tomorrow so you can pop the question, we'll call it even."

"For real? Tomorrow?"

"I think we're going sightseeing, but we can pick her up in the evening and take her to the Airbnb. No time like the present, right?"

Tony looked overwhelmed, but a smile creeped onto his face. "We're meeting for breakfast, right? You two should bring it up to Ziva. Say the twins have bugged you all night."

"You want her to stay over?"

"No, that's OK. She's not cool being away from us at night."

Conversation died down again, and McGee mulled over this latest development in what felt like the lifelong saga of Tony and Ziva. He wasn’t sure how he thought it would end up back when Ziva first arrived on the scene, and maybe this was always inevitable, but it still felt a little surreal. He chuckled to himself.

"Did you call Gibbs?"

"Uh-huh.”

“What did he say?”

“He laughed.”

“I know what he means. It’s a little..” McGee hesitated, “It’s just a little crazy that you actually got here.”

“Took us long enough, right?”

“Better late than never.”

“Hey, I’ll drink to that.”

McGee lifted his beer bottle to meet Tony’s where he’d raised it in front of him.

“To.. saying the right thing.”

“Cheers.”


	3. ziva

At breakfast, McGee and Delilah had offered to take Tali for the evening so Tony and Ziva could have a night to themselves. They said the twins had bugged them about it all the previous night, apparently a compromise to encourage them to spend the day sightseeing, and while Tony had accepted readily Ziva was a little more reluctant.

They’d booked an 8:30 table for dinner and McGee had told them not to rush back, but as they got ready Ziva was still thinking the generosity had gone too far.

“She will not sleep, so we are forcing them to stay awake so we can go out and have fun.”

“She’s desperate to go. If there’s a problem, they’ll call.”

Ziva knew he was right, but that didn’t make it any easier. Even with their generosity, it was still difficult to let Tali out of her sight. “They have a long flight tomorrow – I would feel guilty."

"C'mon, they offered. Tali's excited. It's not like she's Dennis the Menace, she'll be fine. Hey," Tony dropped his hands from his tie and approached Ziva, placing his palms on her cheek. “Ziva, it’s like they said. They want us to have some time for ourselves. It’ll be good for you to have a break. And it’ll be good for Tali too, spending a little time with other people.”

“It is not like work for me, taking care of her.”

“I know. But you still need time for yourself every once in a while. Plus this means I can get you to myself for a night. Hmm?”

The words, and the imploring look in Tony’s eyes, made Ziva relent with a small smile. “OK. But we should really buy them something to say thank you.”

“Kay. Deal.” Tony gave her a peck for good measure and ducked back towards the mirror to continue to get ready.

* * *

They dropped Tali off on their way to dinner, and she’d ran into the apartment towards the twins’ bedroom with barely a glance back at Tony and Ziva.

In spite of Ziva’s initial reluctance, she was glad Tony had encouraged her into taking up McGee and Delilah’s offer. Dinner was beautiful. The food, the wine, the restaurant had been quiet and intimate, and Tony had been on fine form; charming and attentive, barely letting his gaze leave her for even a second.

Ziva remembered a ridiculous daydream she'd had one day on a night train through Russia. She was still adjusting to the medication Adam had given her and her dreams had been vivid, and she'd been thinking about what a theoretical relationship with Tony would be like. Going for runs together. Watching movies under blankets. They could go for dinner and Tony would kiss her hand over the table.

She could never have fathomed, back then, that the things she dismissed as delusional fever dreams would one day be a reality. That after everything she'd been through, and everything they'd had to face as a pair, they'd get through the other side. That they weren't perfect - but they could, and would, get better together.

She wasn't sure the sheer unadulterated relief of that realisation would ever wear off. For the past 3 years she hadn't imagined herself ever to be capable of the type of calm Tony had instilled in her tonight. Sometimes the truth was better than fiction.

They walked slowly through the city for a while, a pleasant buzz in Ziva’s head from the bottle of wine and a little more from the way Tony had been looking at her.

He’d ensured her he knew the way to McGee’s Airbnb from the restaurant, but after thirty minutes Ziva was starting to veer towards questioning his sense of direction when he suddenly stopped abruptly in front of a set of gates that seemed to be to a park or gardens of some time.

"Have you ever been here before?"

"No, it does not seem familiar."

Ziva looked around the darkness, taking in the fields and the trees and the children's climbing frame a few hundred feet ahead of them.

When she turned back to Tony, she saw him sizing up the gate. He pulled at the rails a few times.

"What are you doing?"

"Tryna find a way inside."

"What?!"

“No, you’re right. There’s walls around the other side, come on.”

He grabbed Ziva’s hand and began to pull her down the pavement, footsteps quick as they rounded the park and eventually found the place he had been talking about, where metal railings ended and a 5-and-a-half-foot wall began.

“Here, I’ll give you a leg up and then follow you over.”

“OK. First – I think we both know I am the one who should be giving a leg up. And secondly, _what_ are you doing?” Ziva repeated, trying not to laugh at the boyish expression on his face visible under the streetlights.

“Trust me, it’ll be great.”

Ziva wasn’t sure what it was that possessed her, but she sighed and bent down a little, placing her hands palm-up so Tony could put his foot onto them. He placed a hand on her shoulder briefly and then planted his foot, before putting both of his arms over the wall and pulling himself over. He stood on the wall for a brief second before jumping down.

Ziva followed, with much less fanfare but a lot more grumbling.

"If we end up arrested, I am making Gibbs my one phone-call and you can explain this to him."

"Where's your sense of adventure?" Tony was out of breath as he spoke.

"I think you should have left yours in the past 20 years ago."

“I’m ignoring that. Now, keep quiet and come this way.”

"You are completely insane, Tony."

"You're following me - what does that make you?"

The smug look on Tony's face was unbearable but really Ziva had no answer to that, so she shook her head and began to walk alongside him as he made his way slowly but purposefully through the park.

After a couple of minutes Tony stopped with purpose and sat down on a wooden bench below a small streetlight. He looked up at Ziva expectantly until she sat down next to him. They were facing the playground, deserted and dark.

"Y'know, when Tali and I first came to Paris, before we got our apartment, we lived around here for a couple of months."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh. Do you remember I told you, we were in that top floor 1 bed apartment? Look, up there." Tony put his arm around Ziva's shoulder and used his hand up against her face to point towards a row of buildings behind the trees. "It was tiny, but it suited us because Tali couldn't sleep on her own anyway. And we'd come to this park pretty much every day."

Ziva looked at the climbing frame. Imagined Tali, as she was back then, trying to pull herself up the steps. Little fists grabbing onto bars.

Tony pulled his hand slowly back away from her shoulders, but he was sat closer now. Their forearms were pressed against each other.

"You know Tali's always had an imagination, and half of the time she didn't even want me involved. She liked to sit under the slide and talk to herself, she'd bring her dolls and jump them around. And I'd sit here on this bench and watch her. And, usually, I'd think about you.

I'd worry about what you were doing. If you were safe. If I should be doing something to help, even though you told me not to. I wondered if you'd think I was doing a good job, or if you were thinking about us."

When they'd first reunited, and after Tony had spent days asking questions and listening to every little detail of what Ziva had been through in the couple of years since Cairo, she had tried to return the favour.

She had wanted to know everything about his life with Tali from the second they'd said goodbye, but when he began talking she could tell he was holding back. She pulled him up on it and he hesitated, telling her in a quiet voice that he didn't want her to use what he said as a tool for self-flagellation. Ziva had promised she wouldn't but hadn't really meant it, half a mind on punishing herself for the hurt she had caused him.

But the truth was, the more he had told, the easier it had got to handle. Her guilt had slowly started to lift the more honest he was, and maybe that was contradictory, but as they rebuilt their lives in a post-Sahar world Ziva was able to get some perspective.

She was able to listen to him tell these stories now, openly, and find some distance between things she had done six years ago and things that happened since Cairo. No matter what she had done back then, what happened with Sahar truly, genuinely, wasn't her fault. She could see that now.

"I thought about you every minute of every day."

Tony smiled a little, but he was looking down at his hands. "I had some of the worst moments of my life sat on this bench. Times when I just thought.. y'know, what the hell am I doing? When I hadn't slept in 3 days and Tali had been crying for you all night and someone would stop me on the street and I wouldn't understand a word they were saying. And I used to say to myself..." Tony looked up at her and she noticed a wetness in his eyes. "..I would say to myself, one day she'll be here and this'll all be worth it."

Ziva found it mesmeric in a way, listening to Tony talk about her like this. Years hanging onto guilt and anxiety and uncertainty had left her fearful of how he would approach her when they crossed paths again, but he was reassuring and open and _present_. Like he always had been for her, no matter what. More than she could ever deserve, though she was fighting hard not to see it that way. There was still an awe in hearing it, the reminder that unreserved and unabashed love did exist, even at the times she felt she didn't deserve it.

“The last couple of years have been really hard at times - and if they were like that for me, then I can only imagine how they were for you. But.. if I had to, I'd do it all again tomorrow. If I knew that at the end of it, you'd be here, and it would be like this.

These five months since you got back have been some of the most challenging, unexpected, fun, and.. vulnerable, of my life. But never once have I learned something I didn't already know. All its done is confirmed to me what I've known from the start: we belong together, Ziva David."

The way he said it made Ziva wonder if he was quoting a movie, but when she looked up to meet his eyes she could see that he wasn't.

In the years she'd known him, Tony had tried hard to curate the image of himself he portrayed to the outside world. He still did, to an extent, but he'd left that behind with Ziva a long time ago.

It was this side of him she had missed the most while they were apart. For as much as she'd fallen for his flirtatiousness when they'd first met, and she had a secret soft spot for his childish humour, it was his steadiness that she'd fallen in love with: his unwavering loyalty, his dedication, his ability to act as strength when others needed it, and, yes, his self-sacrifice when someone he cared about was in trouble. It wasn't always directed at her, but when it was..

It had taken Ziva a long time to come to terms with someone being willing to give up their life to save hers. And while she hoped that side of their lives was far behind them now, she knew that if the situation rose she wouldn't hesitate for a second to do the same for him.

He'd let his walls down over the years to allow her to see this side of him laid bare, and she was working hard to give him the same access.

"I.. don't know what to say. I feel like I can exhale, for the first time in years, and that is because of you. I worry sometimes that I do not tell you enough. I love you more than I thought capable." Ziva fumbled for more words but they didn't come, the threat of tears still pricking in her eyes.

"You don't have to say anything. I wasn't fishing, I just want you to do me a favour."

"I know; I just needed to tell you. Sometimes you say things that make me a little speechless."

"First time for everything."

"Shut up." Ziva's objection was quiet and they both laughed to themselves, falling into a companionable silence.

When Tony leaned forward to press a kiss to her lips, his energy was a little off. It softened a little as she stroked the hair by his temple affectionately, watching the mesmerising way his eyes widened as they stayed locked with hers. "What is this favour you wanted to ask me?"

The strange unease was back again. "Close your eyes and don't move."

".. Why?"

"You trust me, right?"

"Do I?"

"C'mon, humour me."

Being as attuned to her senses as she was, Ziva was acutely aware of what Tony was doing even with her eyes closed. Still, it didn't stop her heart from skipping a beat when she opened her eyes and he was kneeling in front of her, ring box held towards her. There was a glint in his eyes that made Ziva's start to well up even more than before.

"Tony.. your knee."

"Painkillers, I'll survive.” He paused for a moment and smiled at her, and then he flicked upon the box to display a diamond ring. "I don't want to wait another second. Will you marry me?"

"Yes." Zero hesitation, zero pause. Maybe the easiest answer she'd ever had to give.

"Yeah?"

"Yes! Of course I will marry you. I don't want to wait another second."

Tony's face lit up and he dropped the box on the ground as Ziva held her hand out. He placed the ring on her finger and kissed the backs of her knuckles before Ziva stood up. It took him a second to get up from the ground but when he did she launched herself at him fiercely, wrapping her arms around him and burying her face in his neck.

There was a tear on her cheek when she pulled back and Tony wiped it away with the pad of his thumb before finally kissing her, wrapping his arms even more tightly around her back.

Though kissing Tony was something that would never stop giving her tiny inexplicable flutters in her stomach, it was his hands she focused on in that moment as their lips molded together. So reassuring, and firm, as though being placed around her was what they were made for.

This was only enhanced when he lifted them to her face as his tongue made its way into her mouth. She could reel off a book's worth of memories of times he'd touched her face like that; to comfort her, to tease her, to reassure her, to kiss her passionately, or when he was so overcome he had used his hands to lift her head to force her to see him through the expression in his eyes, to _really_ see him and how he felt. That particular memory, a forgotten bedroom in a forgotten family home, belonged to a week that Ziva still didn't like to think about often. But it had brought them Tali, and that had brought them to where they were now, where he could hold her face again and the touch felt like home.

Ziva felt Tony pause against her lips, and it seemed as usual he had sensed that she was thinking about something. He pulled back slowly, opening his eyes enough to look at her curiously.

"What are you thinking so hard about, David?"

"It is DiNozzo, actually." She lifted a thumb to wipe a smudge of lipgloss from the corner of his mouth as it turned upwards. "I was just thinking that I like your hands." It seemed the most apt summary, though evidently wasn't what he was expecting. They were still paused cradling her face even as Tony tipped his head to the side and nodded professionally.

"Thanks?"

"You're welcome."

They stayed there for a few minutes, holding each other and laughing in the darkness. When Tony eventually took her hand and began to walk leisurely back through the park, he looked out across the fields while Ziva took her turn to not be able to tear her eyes off him.

When they reached a small fountain, his neck snapped around and he frowned.

"Did you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

"Nothing, thought I heard a walkie talkie." Tony cast a glance over his shoulder as Ziva watched him with amusement.

"Tell me, Tony. What is your plan if we get caught trespassing?"

"I was a cop for 30 years, you think I don't know how to think like a criminal?" Ziva raised her eyebrows in expectation. "I think I would take the ring back off you and get on one knee again and hope the police find it as romantic as you did."

"I think that might work." There was a bright sarcasm in her voice as she spoke, her heart still racing.

They reached the wall area again and Ziva boosted Tony over. As she pulled herself up she felt the unfamiliar feeling of her ring against the cold brick, and instinctively looked down. It was dark back here, but she could still just about make out the stone.

"I know I did a good job, but we haven't got all day." Ziva looked down at Tony who was looking up at her as she stared at her ring, his eyes squinted and grinning. She threw her bag onto the ground (aiming near his head) as she jumped over, and he ducked out of the way with a groan.

“How long did you plan that?”

Tony hummed. “When we were hopping the wall.”

“No, really.”

“Not kidding. I didn’t mean to bring you here, I pretty much just got lost and then we stumbled upon it.” Ziva turned to look at him, unreadable expression on his face. “I was _going_ to take you to that spot by the river that you liked, where you made us stop to take photos for like a half-hour your first day back. But god knows how far away we are from that now.”

Ziva was still looking at him, listening as me complained to himself. He furrowed his brow a little at her. “What?”

“I love you.”

He broke into a grin. “I love you too. Now do you think you can get us un-lost?”

“You should have just told me we were lost, I’m a trained navigator.”

“Oh yeah, how romantic would that be? ‘Hey honey, I’m trying to propose at this romantic location but I’m lost so do you think you can guide me there?’” Tony fumbled for his phone in his pocket and got up the Airbnb address. Ziva inputted it into Google maps in her phone, and by some miracle Tony had took them in a loop around the area and they were only 15 minutes away.

"I'm glad we got lost, Tony. That was perfect."

"Yeah?" Ziva nodded coyly. "Good. I had this whole other thing planned - I was gonna talk about that first day we went to the river, and how I kept trying not to state at you but I couldn't help it. And then I was gonna talk about how much had changed since then, and I was gonna pretend to see something on the other bank and when you turned around I was gonna get down on one knee."

"I want to hear all of that too. Next week I can direct you there, and you can do that whole speech."

"You want me to propose again?"

"This one was so perfect and you did not even plan it, I want to know what you planned. I will pretend to be surprised."

Tony looked at her with amusement in his eyes. "OK, sure. You can pretend to be surprised."

He shook his head at her as they continued to walk, both chuckling to themselves.

As they wound their way through the streets, Ziva couldn’t help but keep looking down at her ring finger.

“You _do_ like it, right?”

“It is beautiful, Tony. I’m just trying to get my head around the fact that this is happening.”

“Took you by surprise, huh?

“Oh yes, I was not expecting that at all."

"Huh, my poker face is better than I thought. Last night I couldn't keep it in, I ended up proposing to McGoo."

"You told them?"

"Why'd you think they were so desperate to hang out with Tali tonight?"

"I cannot believe you."

"Hey, talking of. We gonna tell her now?"

Ziva checked her watch. "It will be almost midnight by the time we get home, she will be exhausted. Maybe we should wait until the morning."

“You’ll have to stop eyeballing me, or the jig will be up.”

"And _you_ will have to stop being so big-headed, or I will throw my bag at your face again."

"Can you blame me for being the happiest man on earth?"

The playful sincerity in his voice made Ziva melt, and she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her.

She felt positively childish, alcohol and happiness and hopefulness mixing in her stomach. When she pulled him in for a kiss, and another, she wondered if she had ever felt as free as she had done tonight. The love of her life hopping over walls and dragging her through parks and sharing secrets like he was 14 years old, the weight of the world lifted off their shoulders.

* * *

Ziva was beginning to wish she’d worn different shoes by the time they reached the building, though thankfully they were staying in the ground-floor apartment. The door opened fairly quickly, and McGee was stood there holding a bowl of popcorn in his hand with an expectant look in his eyes.

"So? How was dinner?"

Ziva rolled her own eyes at him and raised her hand.

"You did it!"

“Yes, apparently you played quite the hand in it.”

“Hey, happy to help. Come here.” McGee opened his arms and encouraged Tony and Ziva in for a group hug, which both of them pretended to object to. He was still smiling when they pulled back. “We’re having a midnight feast in here.”

Tony and Ziva followed McGee through into the main room, and he turned on the lights as he did. The television was paused and Delilah and Tali were on the couch, wrapped in blankets. Tali was sucking her thumb: a habit she'd grown out of a while ago.

"We tried to get her to take a nap when we put the twins to bed, but she got a little upset."

"Sorry. She still can’t be away from Tony at night."

When they were first reunited, Tony had tried hard to make sure Ziva didn't feel excluded or extra compared to the connection Tali had to him. It was only natural, though, that she would seek him out for comfort over Ziva, and Ziva would be the first to admit that it wasn't jealousy she felt when she saw them together but rather a rush of warmth and comfort. A reminder of how lucky she was.

"Not a big deal. We've been watching Toy Story, huh, Tali?"

“Woody looks like daddy.”

As Tony began to rebuff her, Delilah looked over Tali’s head at Ziva. She raised her eyebrows and Ziva held up her hand again. Delilah pulled a delighted expression, but then pointed a finger at Tali. Ziva shook her head, mouthed the word “tomorrow”, and Delilah nodded knowingly.

"It is time to go home, Tali. Say thank you to Aunt Delilah and Uncle Tim for letting you play."

"No, don't want to go." Tali mumbled, turning her head towards the couch and Delilah's shoulder.

"Come on, it's way past your bedtime."

Tali looked up at Tony as he spoke, but then buried her head again. "I'm not tired."

"It's past our bedtimes too, baby, I'm sorry."

Tony gently coaxed her but Tali began to cry, pulling the blanket over her face. Tony bent down and she didn't put up much of a fight as he picked her up. Delilah rubbed her back soothingly as she moved out of reach, putting her arm over Tony's neck instinctively. "She's just tired. I'll wait in the hall." He said quietly, smiling at Ziva as he passed her and walked back towards the front door.

“What did we bring with us?” Ziva asked absently, wracking her brain for what she’d been carrying when they’d dropped Tali off.

McGee busied himself around the room, picking up shoes and a rucksack and Kelev. He piled them into Ziva’s hands.

“Thank you so much for watching her, we really appreciate it. We will have to buy you something to say thank you before you leave.”

“Really, it was no big deal.” Delilah dismissed her quietly, though her smile was tired. “We’re just pleased for you guys.”

“Yeah, what are families for?”

The words had Ziva brimming with affection, and she gave McGee a kiss on the cheek. “We will see you tomorrow afternoon, yes?”

“Sounds good. We need to be at the airport at around 7.”

They’d agreed to hang out in the afternoon before Tony drove them to the airport, and though it had been a quick and chaotic trip Ziva had been glad that they’d had so many opportunities to spend time as a group.

They said their goodbyes and McGee followed Ziva to the door. She found Tony and Tali in the hallway; Tony was walking up and down it slowly, Tali’s head on his chest and her legs dangling down. Though Tali was getting too big for the position, Ziva could see it was muscle memory the way Tony was soothing her head against him, whispering into her ear. She looked like a toddler as he pressed his lips against her forehead and wiped the tears from her eyes, and Ziva watched them both with an awe that she was beginning to think would never leave.

Her thumb absently played with the ring on her finger, spinning it a couple of times as though to remind herself it was real. Tony’s eyes flicked up to her as she walked down the hallway, his hand protectively holding the side of Tali’s face against his chest. Not wanting to jostle her, Ziva pressed a kiss to her own fingers and placed them on Tony’s cheek. He smiled.

“Home?”

“Home.”


End file.
